Career Minded
by Flounder En Flucter
Summary: Hermione tries to talk to Ron and Harry about their careers but the conversation quickly gets awkward. T for some swearing No actual pairings.


Harry was sitting in the Griffindor common room in front of the fire in his favorite chair with Hermione and Ron on either side of him. The career counseling sessions that they had happened in their fifth year but they had never actually talked about it with each other. But Hermione, in one of her mother hen moments, decided to drive the issue home so she could make sure her boys were staying on track.

Hermione, "Ron what do you want to do when you graduate?"

Ron, "Well if I improve enough I'd like to go to a few of the quiditch training camps that are offered and attempt to go pro."

Hermione glared at him. Ron,"But realisticly I'd like to be an auror. If things don't work out for that I can probably get in working with my dad in his department at the ministry or at the twins' shop."

She seemed satisfied with that answer, considering he had a plan and multiple back up plans. "Harry what about you?"

Harry, "You're joking right?"

Hermione, "No why?"

Harry, "Because I'm not going to graduate."

Hermione, "Of course you will! While your grades could be better you should be able to get most if not all passing grades on the NEWTs you take."

Harry, "That's not what I meant. I probably won't live to see my seventeenth birthday, let alone actually graduation."

Ron, "Oh come off it mate!"

Hermione, "Of course you will don't be stupid."

Harry, "Think about things logically for a moment will you? The deck is stacked against me, Dumbledore couldn't or wouldn't take Voldemort down before he became a monster, he couldn't even get to him during his first rise, the people who are our best shot at winning are being picked off one by one and most of the time in their own homes. Dumbledore's wand hand is hurt, to the point where he can't use it at one hundred percent, maybe even eighty percent or less, which means the next fight he gets into he's done.

"Add in to the mix that in six years of schooling we've only had three competant DADA teachers, there is only so far that self study can take me. Dumbledore's 'lessons' are nothing but home movies of the life and times of Tom Riddle, and even those are far between."

Ron, "But you have tons of real life experience."

Harry, "The only time that skill involved had anything to do with it was in third year when I faced down the Dementors. Other than that it's all been divine intervention, help from others, and incredible luck."

Hermione, "How can you say that?"

Harry points to the lightning bolt scar, "Divine intervention."

Ron, "First year, Quirrel and the stone?"

Harry, "Help to get through the tests before the stone then divine intervention when I faced Quirrel."

Hermione, "Second year?"

Harry, "Second year was all three. You figured out what the monster was, then Fawks was once again the divine intervention, then the basilisk lunged at me while I had the sword sticking strait up and impaled itself ergo luck."

Ron, "Fourth year with the tournament."

Harry, "Crouch Jr got Hagrid to show me the dragons, then gave me the idea to use my broom, and Hermione taught me the summoning charm. Crouch Jr said loudly in front of Dobby 'I wonder if Potter will use gillyweed?' which Dobby procured for me, until he gave me that I was just going to fail since I couldn't figure out how to breath under water. My path through the maze was mostly cleared out by Crouch Jr. Then if my wand and Voldemort's wand didn't lock up together I'd be dead, for crying out loud all I tried was to disarm him."

Hermione, "How can you say the Department of Mysteries was divine intervention?"

Harry, "No, it was a cock up from the get go. The history of magic OWL was at two, but between ditching Umbitch, arguing with you guys, and flying to the ministry we didn't get there til what, nine? If Sirius was actually being tortured he'd be dead or like Neville's parents by then. By the time we got there they should have been long gone and the only thing left should have been a body. It took us nearly four hours to get there but the Order didn't get there until after we did, and they only brought a few people, sure they brought some of their more magically talented or powerful people but they had six people including Dumbledore which meant if three hadn't been taken out of the fight already they would have been facing two on one odds.

"Snape was told what was happening almost an hour before we left, which meant they had five hours to mobilize people, but showed up after. That means they either suck at what they do or Snape didn't tell them until after we would have been there. Because remember we were stumbling around there for over an hour by the time the fight started.

"Now staying alive wasn't exactly an accomplishment for me there since they were under orders not to kill me, you guys were fair game but as long as I was brought back relatively whole Voldemort wouldn't have cared. So it was help that I didn't die that night."

Hermione a little subdued, "I still don't think you're going to die before graduation."

Harry, "Smartest witch or our age my arse. If you had half as much common sense as you do book smarts you'd realize I'm a dead man walking, well sitting right now but you get the picture. Not taking the thrice damned prophesy into account, I'm Voldemort's biggest failure, he hasn't been able to kill me yet. I'm a black eye on an otherwise spotless record. Even if they're driven back they still win because they kill more of us, we consider it a win if we live relatively unscathed, they consider it a win if they've killed someone. We are losing by inches."

Hermione, "When did you decide that you were going to die?"

Harry, "Fourth year, first it was the dragons, then after the second task I thought I might make it, but after that night in the graveyard I knew it was just a matter of time. You didn't really believe that since Voldemort got himself a new body that I'd live through this did you? Sure I had a shot when he was a disembodied spirit, but now that he's back to full strength? Game over man, game over.

"If you were smart you'd get your families and get the hell out. Wizarding Britain has no actual allies we can call upon for help, it's only a matter of time before Voldemort's forces take the country, get out while you have a chance.

"I'm going to die, that's no question. Even Dumbledore believes that, otherwise he would actually be trying to train me. But one thing is for certain I'm going to take out as many as possible before I do. Hell maybe I'll be able to take the Dark Wanker with me if my luck holds out."

Ron, "We can't just leave you, mate."

Harry, "You can if you want to live. Once he takes over he'll attempt to torture information out of those closest to me, I've been through a couple of crucios, have you?" Ron shook his head. "Yeah didn't think so. How long do you think you could hold out before they get to you talk? A minute? Five minutes? Ten? If you get up to half an hour I'm sure they might let you have a place in St Mungos right next to Neville's parents and Lockhart."

Harry turned to Hermione, "We don't even want to think about what they'd do to you. You weren't able to resist the imperius at all, they'll have you doing all kinds of things. They'll keep you as their plaything until they tire of you, then they'll break the curse and get you to kill yourself.

"Maybe it's my noble streak coming back out or maybe it's something else, but unless you cut your loses and go you are both going to die, and quite painfully. You're both seventeen already, which means you can leave school grounds whenever, get out while you still can, hell if I could I would."


End file.
